As the organisers of the Mille Miglia 2016 announced the route for the 34th edition of the race between Brescia and Rome, Chopard Vice-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele decided to bring forward the launch date for his new model dedicated to the race that was described by Enzo Ferrari as “the world’s only travelling museum”. But Karl-Friedrich Scheufele does not just content himself with the sponsorship of the legendary 1000-mile since 1988, he is also one of the 430 competitors. Two weeks before Baselworld at the Geneva International Motor Show, where Chopard traditionally unveils its Mille Miglia limited edition, just one watch media had the chance to try on this new model.
In-house caliber
The good news is that it is still very comfortable to wear, despite the 46mm diameter that makes the 2016 XL Race Edition the biggest Mille Miglia model to date, and the water-resistant Suportlo calfskin strap is as soft to the touch as it appears. The case back reveals another première in the Mille Miglia collection: a movement that has been designed and manufactured in-house by Chopard: Calibre 03.05-C. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is very proud of this COSC-certified self-winding movement with a column-wheel chronograph and admits to spending a lot of time on its development with his technical team.
Its generous size translates into an equally generous power reserve of 60 hours. An in-house chronograph movement has the price to match, of course, making this new model more expensive than previous Mille Miglia models that were equipped with ETA movements. Nevertheless, the price remains below the psychological five-figure barrier in euros.
The technical sophistication of its horological content is matched by an accomplished design that combines a retro style, paying tribute to the origins of the race in 1927, and the subtle harmony of tones and graphic elements on its satin-finished and brushed black dial. The red Mille Miglia logo takes pride of place at 12 o’clock, like a driver on the top step of the podium, wearing the Mille Miglia 2016 XL Race Edition, of course.
Cover photo (from left to right): Brendon Hartley, Porsche LMP1 driver, Romain Dumas, Porsche works driver and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Vice-President of Chopard.
